Assignment Dates

Note: If you do not contribute a fact sheet by the Target Due Date, you will receive an Incomplete on the project. This requirement is intended to allow the group to submit their work, rather than waiting for missing group members.

See the Short Guide for an explanation of these dates.

What I Want You to Do

A page from a report showing sticky notes and text, with a yellow pencil beside the paper.Working with your group, create a collection of fact sheets that explains key principles of usability, document design, or accessibility. Each person will write one fact sheet using examples from the website your group proposed. The final collection must include a title page, table of contents, and letter of transmittal.

Your audience is the team responsible for maintaining the website. Your fact sheets should help them identify and make improvements to the site’s design and accessibility.

Why I Want You to Do It

In the workplace, you’ll often write longer documents as part of a team. This assignment builds your collaborative writing skills, reinforces the importance of consistent formatting and professional tone, and strengthens your ability to explain digital communication best practices. It also gives you real-world experience applying key concepts from technical communication—usability, accessibility, and visual design.

Show/Hide Relevant Course Objectives

Relevant Course Objectives

  • Identify and define a problem or subject related to your particular field (or another specific problem according to your assignment’s directions) and assemble and analyze research related to this problem. [CLO 1]
  • Analyze the context of this problem or subject and determine appropriate audiences for the unit’s deliverables. [CLO 2]
  • Practice workplace genres associated with a team-based research project: a research proposal, meeting minutes, a progress report, a recommendation report or an informational report for non-expert readers, a slide deck presentation of the report, and a video presentation. [CLO 3]
  • Practice team and collaborative work in all phases of project management. [CLO 4]
  • Design strategies for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the suggested approaches to the researched problem. [CLO 5]
  • Illustrate the ethical and human implications of the solutions proposed for solving the problem. [CLO 6]

Where You Can Find Help

The Scenario for the Project

You work as a Usability Consultant at Maroon + Orange Digital, where I (Traci) serve as a Founding Owner and the Director of Project Development. Your client is the person responsible for the website your group selected.

The client has asked you to evaluate their website and create educational materials to help employees improve it. You’ll prepare a set of short, easy-to-read fact sheets that explain specific principles, show how they apply to the current site, and suggest improvements.

Your audience includes developers, designers, and content writers who need clear, actionable guidance.

How You Do It

Preparing for the Project

  1. Review the rubric below the assignment (to be added soon) to ensure that you understand the requirements for the project.
  2. Ensure that your website backup is complete. If anything on the website has changed, update your backup so that you have the most recent files. Here are some ways to make a backup:
    • Print out the webpages on paper, ensuring all the information prints.
    • Print the webpages and choose to print a PDF, so you’ll have a digital backup.
    • Save a backup to the Wayback Machine by following these instructions.

Arranging Group Work

  1. Assign one principle to each member (e.g., headings, link text, image alt attributes), or each member chooses one principle. Be sure each group member has a different principle.
  2. Design or choose a shared template or layout that all fact sheets will follow, using these tips:
    • Decide on basics, including the font, font size, and colors. If you’re unsure about colors, consider the default in your word processor (assuming you’re all using the same word processor) or use the Virginia Tech Brand colors.
    • Use your word processor, or you can use an online tool like Canva or PiktoChart. If you use an outside tool, be sure that everyone in the group uses the same template.
  3. Confirm that everyone knows the documentation style that your group has agreed on. See the Documentation and Citations for Your Projects page for help.
  4. Review the schedule that your group included in your Progress Report together. Update the schedule as needed.

Writing Your Fact Sheet

  1. Use the shared template or layout that your group agreed on, for consistent formatting and design.
  2. Review Writing an Effective Fact Sheet for help.
  3. Create a two-page fact sheet using examples from the website. Your fact sheet should:
    • Focus on one principle (e.g., accessible color contrast, alt text, or heading use).
    • Be exactly two pages long (one page, printed front and back).
    • Include clear examples from the chosen website.

  4. ⚠️ Important!

    You are responsible for the documentation individually. There is not a separate bibliography section in your collection.

    Use in-text citations throughout the report, following the style system your group decides upon. Include the full references at the end of your fact sheet.
  5. Add at least three visual elements, following these criteria:
    • Use as many visuals (e.g., photos, illustrations, flowcharts, tables) as needed to make the principle compelling and enhance the message in the content.
    • Do not add decorative illustrations.
    • Include textual references to visuals to integrate them into the text.
    • Wrap text around visuals.

Assembling Your Collection

  1. Work collaboratively to compile the collection with the following, in this order:
  2. Check with the review tools in your word processor and revise as needed. Use the following links if you need instructions:
  3. Check for accessibility and revise as needed. Use the following links if you need instructions:
  4. Success Tip
    You should be able to answer “True” to each question in the Self-Check before you submit your project. If you do not meet each of the criteria listed, your draft will be marked Incomplete and you’ll need to revise.
    Complete the Fact Sheet Collection Self-Check (to be added soon), and decide with your group whether to submit the assignment:
    • If you answered “True” to every question, move on to the next step (#20). You’re ready to submit your work.
    • If you did not answer “True” to every question, follow this process:
      • Return to your draft and revise it to meet all of the criteria.
      • Review your draft with the Recommendation Self-Check after you revise.
        • If you answered “True” to every question, move on to the next step (#20). You’re ready to submit your work.
        • If you did not answer “True” to every question, continue revising until you can.
  5. Submit your group’s collection once you are ready. Only ONE member of your group needs to submit the report. See How do I submit an online assignment? if you need help with Canvas.

How to Find Feedback After You Submit Your Work